1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to pontoon boats, and more particularly to pontoon boats including storage spaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pontoon boats are becoming an increasingly popular choice among boat owners who are looking for a vessel that can accommodate a large family or group of people in a comfortable environment for leisure and/or entertainment purposes. Additional advantages of pontoon boats over other boat options include their ability to navigate shallow water with ease, their relatively low cost compared to other boat options of comparable size, the ability to configure the deck area with a variety of seating configurations and other options, and their ease of handling to name just a few.
Pontoon boats are typically constructed to include a generally flat platform or deck, which is mounted to two or more hollow, tubular floatable pontoons to support the deck off the water. The typical construction further includes some type of barrier or wall system that extends about the perimeter of the deck to define a passenger space and some type of seating arrangement within the passenger space.
Typically, pontoon boats include seats arranged throughout the interior space in a predetermined layout. To maximize the usefulness of the passenger space, these seats are often configured to include a storage space underneath a seat bottom cushion. Passengers often use these storage spaces for life jackets, towels, fenders, ropes, etc. Due to the nautical environment in which the pontoon boat operates, often these items are wet when they are put into the storage space. In order to reduce the risk of mold, fungi or bacteria growth in the storage space, some pontoon boat manufacturers have taken to raising the bottom edge of the wall system off of the deck to provide an air access opening into the storage space beneath the wall.